Crytopyrite
by PotterPhantomKitten
Summary: AU. In a world divided between humans and Elementals, the two sides are kept apart due to the government's hatred for Elementals. Admist the chaos, one boy holds the secret to an ancient legend that could decide the fate of his world... DxS later.
1. Meeting of Memory

A/N: This story was originally written for a phanfiction contest I was a part of, so I decided to post it here! Yes, I know that control of ice is called cyrokenesis, but at the time of writing this, I thought it was crytokenesis. By the time I found out what it was actually called, I had gotten really far in the story, plus Crytos sound cooler in my opinion. Anyway, enough about random name blabbers, on with the phic!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. If I did, Nick would pay for even thinking about canceling it, and this would be a movie, where Danny meets the AU version of himself in this phic.

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In the year 2041, a blue-colored building rests in the middle of a dense forest. This building is known as Elementum Academy, a boarding school for those known as Elementals-those with control over the elements of fire and ice.

At present, it was lunchtime for the many Crytos and Pyros in the school, and everyone was talking and laughing, as usual. Only one boy did not join in the cheerful atmosphere: a 17-year old Cryto named Daniel Fenton, Danny for short. He, unlike everyone else, was asleep, using a small block of ice he had formed around his hands as a pillow.

"Danny! Danny, wake up!"

"Hunh?" the 17-year-old Cryto's golden eyes flickered open rapidly, the ice covering his hands shattering as he woke. He rubbed his hand against his forehead, trying to clear his mind of the dark memories in his head. Danny's Pyro friend, Seraphine, gently shook him, her silvery eyes fixed on him. She was 16, a year younger than Danny but at times acted like she was 20.

"The Training Bell just rang. Lunch is over Danny, we have to go."

"Oh, right," Danny said, brushing his silvery hair away from his eyes as he and the other Elementals started to file out of the lunchroom. Lunchtime was about the only time the Crytos and Pyros got to see each other, since they were training with their own elemental groups nearly every other time. This was a precaution that Master (the principal of the Academy) arranged when the training grounds were first built, so there wouldn't be any accidents involving the Pyros and Crytos burning and freezing each other to death.

"Bye Seraphine, I'll catch up to you later!", Danny called out, briskly heading toward his Cryto training class. The two of them waved to each other before they were forced to go their separate ways. Suddenly, an announcement rang through the halls:

"Daniel Fenton, please report to Master's office!"

Danny groaned in annoyance as he turned around and started toward Master's office, getting slight glances from other Crytos as he did so. How could he have forgotten? He smacked himself, and as he did, he saw the glowing indigo ring-shaped marks on his wrists, much more blue than the rest of his Cryto skin. The strange indigo marks looked like Cryto blood, so Danny attempted to keep them hidden as much as possible to avoid others questioning him. He sighed inwardly, it was the reason why he went to Master's office in the first place: to try to forget the events of ten years before, when his life had taken a turn for the worse.

"I can't forget," Danny said softly, staring at the cursed glow on his wrists. "They keep telling me to try to forget, but I can't. No matter what, I never will...the palebloods cursed me when they attacked, and ruined my life for eternity."

Danny sighed inwardly as he approached the door to Master's office-well, everyone else called him 'Master' since it was his last name, and he was the Master of the Academy. Danny, however, personally knew him, so he called him by his first name-Vlad. He felt as if Vlad was the only one in the entire Academy who truly understood him-even more than Seraphine and his best Cryto friend, Tucker-because he was the only one who had been there when the paleloods destroyed everything.

Danny learned a lot from what Vlad had told him. The humans had captured him because he was one of the most experienced Pyros around, destroying his home and family just as they had done with Danny's. Vlad had overheard the humans talking about how and when they were going to destroy the Cryto village, and panicked, knowing that his two friends, Jack and Maddie Fenton, would be staying in that village when they attacked.

As Vlad always described to Danny, security had been extremely tight there, but Vlad escaped when nearly all the humans began attacking the Cryto village that was the Fenton's home. Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, his two friends had been destroyed, as had nearly everyone else. He had, however, been able to save one Cryto: Danny. This was the reason the two felt a special kinship: both of them the only survivors when the humans-or palebloods, as their kind called then, to emphasize that humans were cold and heartless-destroyed their homes.

Danny knew there would be time to think of Vlad's stories later. Now, he knocked on the door of Vlad's office, and a small 'click' was heard, allowing him to enter.

"Come in, Daniel," he heard Vlad's voice say.

Danny sat down on the small chair in Vlad's office, wondering exactly what was going to happen. He knew this wasn't just to help ease his pain-Vlad was doing it for himself too.

"You know why you are here, am I right Danny?" Vlad asked the young Cryto.

Danny nodded slightly, looking down at the floor. "You are trying to help us both forget a little of the pain and anguish we've suffered," he said softly.

"Exactly," Vlad said, smiling warmly at Danny, then frowning suddenly. "Your aura is radiating painful memories...you're remembering it...aren't you?"

Danny sighed audibly. Like Vlad always said: the aura doesn't lie. Vlad had been teaching Danny how to read auras, and he could now sense what his mentor was feeling at a particular moment. "Yes," he said. "I think about it a lot...it's hard for me not to, especially with...these." Danny slowly rolled up his black sleeves so Vlad could see the indigo rings.

Vlad hurriedly ran over to him and stared at them. "Have you had those rings since...the palebloods attacked?" he asked, confused.

Danny inclined his head. "Yes Vlad. I-I just remember a pain that felt like fire within ice, it even _looked_ like it, and then...I got these." He had been wary about revealing the rings, since he had never shown them to anyone, not even Tucker. Danny trusted Vlad though, and decided that he should show him.

Vlad slowly reached out and touched the ring on Danny's right wrist, but suddenly Danny screamed, causing the Pyro to pull his hand away in shock. "Danny?" Vlad asked anxiously, "are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Danny didn't answer. As his screams died down to whispers, he had his eyes closed and was shivering madly. Vlad quickly sensed that Danny's aura was radiating excruciating pain, as if... no, he couldn't of been reliving the memory...could he? "Danny," Vlad said after a minute, gently shaking him, "please, wake up. It's over now, you're safe."

Danny slowly opened his eyes, still shivering with pain and fear. He looked around fearfully; as if he were worried the palebloods might come for him at any moment. "V-Vlad?" Danny asked, "May I-"

"Of course you can go Danny," Vlad said, finishing his sentence for him. "...Are you sure you'll be..okay? Do you need me to help you get to your Cryto training class?" he asked, knowing that's where Danny normally went at this time.

Danny gave Vlad a small smile. "I'd like that." he said softly, then turned his gaze down.

The two of them slowly walked through the hallways, mixed feelings radiating through their auras. For Vlad, it was confusion. For Danny it wasn't just confusion, but fear and pain as well. They didn't say anything, but they were both wondering the same thing: What power did those rings hold? Vlad however, had another thought on his mind:

What exactly had happened to Danny?

A/N: There's the first chapter for you all! Read and review!


	2. A Firey Anger

A/N: Well, I didn't get too many reviews for that first chapter, but you know what they say: a watched story never gets reviews! Anyways, here's the second chapter! Enjoy!

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A loud knock on the door interrupted the Cryto's training class, and the random freeze blasts ceased flying as soon as the Crytos heard. The training instructor, Mrs. Frost, turned toward the door as Vlad walked in with Danny, who looked as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.

"Oh, there you are Mr. Fenton," Mrs. Frost said cheerfully, "back from your meeting already?" Suddenly, her smile faded as she noticed the troubled, pained look on Danny's face, and she simply motioned for him to sit down. She gave Vlad a worried look. "Trouble?" she whispered to Vlad.

Vlad nodded. "Memories," he answered, knowing that was all Mrs. Frost needed to hear. With a curious look at Danny, he turned and walked out of the room, with several younger Crytos calling their farewells.

Mrs. Frost sighed, sadly shaking her head. She knew that 10 years ago to this day-April 21-was when Danny had lost his home and family. She slowly walked over to her young pupil, who kept his head down, his eyes staring at the floor. "Are you okay, Danny?"

After a moment, Danny slowly nodded his head, not tearing his gaze from the ground. "I'm…fine."

For the next hour of training, Danny sat silently over in a corner of the room, turning over his thoughts in his head. Why had that horrible memory-and the pain along with it-returned when Vlad had touched the rings on his wrists? He figured it was because the rings were somewhat sensitive to touch. After all, he had never let anyone else see them, but he trusted Vlad, having saved Danny's life 10 years before.

"But then…" Danny pondered, concern flashing in his eyes, "What caused me to relive _that_ particular moment? Why then?" Suddenly, as he sat there, lost in his thoughts, an idea sparked in his mind. Danny knew of one place that could possibly give him some answers, about the rings at least-the library. His golden eyes were fixed anxiously on the clock. Just a few more seconds...

As if on cue, the bell rang, and the Crytos had cleared out of the room faster than you could say "freeze blast." Danny walked out with Tucker, like he normally did, when suddenly he turned around and went in the direction opposite of where their dorm room was.

"Hey dude, what's going on?" Tucker asked curiously. "We have a few free hours before dinner, aren't you going to go to our room so we can play iceball like always?"

Danny sighed. "Can't now, Tuck. I have to go do a little research in the library." Without saying another word to Tucker, he ran off toward the library leaving a very confused Tucker behind.

"Research?" Tucker wondered to himself. "What kind of research?"

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"Is he back yet?"

Valerie turned to Tucker, hoping for an answer. They hadn't seen Danny for 3 hours, and the Dinner Bell would ring any minute.

Tucker shook his head. "Sorry Val, I haven't seen Danny either. He said something about research." He shrugged. "We'd better go find him."

As soon as they got to the library entrance doors, Danny stormed out, running toward the Dinner Hall as fast as he could. He hadn't even bothered to show his friends the book he had checked out from the library, or explain why he had needed to come. Valerie and Tucker hurried to catch up.

The two arrived a few seconds after Danny did, but since the lunch hall was crowded with students, it was hard to find him even with the Crytos on one side and Pyros on the other. They finally found him, briskly heading toward the table where the group usually sat. Dash was already there, apparently waiting for the rest of them. Dash had been a bully before, until he found out that Danny was the only survivor of the palebloods attacking the Cryto village. He had treated Danny with respect ever since.

"Hey, Danny! Over here!" Dash called. "I heard about you having to go to Master's office, what happened?"

"None of your business Dash," Danny muttered to himself. Apparently his friends didn't remember what day it was.

"That's what I heard too," said Serephine, a table away on the Pyro side of the lunch hall. "What happened anyway?"

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Danny snapped, just as Tucker and Valerie caught up.

"Danny, I don't understand," Tucker said. "What happened in Master's office anyway? Why were you going to the library and what book did you get?"

"Yeah," Valerie added, "You haven't really been yourself lately."

"Danny's eyes angrily narrowed. His friends normally helped him out, but today had been too painful for him. And now they were pestering him like this! Danny balled up his fists in anger, his eyes burning with pain and confusion. He didn't even notice that the rings on his wrists were starting to glow dark blue.

"Leave...me...ALONE!!!" Danny shouted angrily. Suddenly, a bright orange burst of energy erupted from his palms, heading straight for Dash, who dove out of the way just in time. Unfortunately, the strange energy hit a 13-year-old Cryto's hand, and she began to scream in pain.

"FIRE!! Help! It's burning me!!" She ran out of the room, escorted by several Crytos as well as Mrs. Frost, clutching her burning hand.

Danny stared down at his hands in disbelief, the bright energy still radiating from his palms. The lunch hall was dead quiet almost at once, with everyone turning their gazes toward Danny. He slowly looked around him and saw Dash, Valerie, Seraphine, and Tucker staring at him like he had fallen from the sky, and many of the younger Elementals looked almost...frightened.

"D…Danny?" Tucker said in a nervous, hushed tone. He took a long, hard look at his friend, as if he thought it was some kind of trick.

"Fenton..." Dash whispered in shock. "What you just did...if I hadn't seen it, I would've never believed it."

Danny took a step backward from all of them, as he heard the other's whispers of wonder and horror.

"Did you…did you _see_ that?"

"Unbelievable!"

"It can't be…no Cryto ever..."

"_He_ did it though, how do you explain that?"

"I can't…it's impossible!"

Danny couldn't take it anymore, but before he could do anything, the bell rang. No one moved for a minute. Everyone, Crytos and Pyros alike, stared at Danny in a mixture of wonder and terror. Then, as if rushed out by an unseen force, they were gone.

Only Valerie stayed behind. She gently put her hand on Danny's shoulder. "Danny," Valerie whispered softly, her voice shaking after what she had just witnessed. "What's happening to you?"

Danny stared at her for a minute, unsure of what to say. "How am I supposed to tell you if I don't even know?" He kept his head down, not daring to look his friend in the eye. He couldn't bear seeing the same horrified look that had been on the faces of his schoolmates.

Valerie sadly frowned at Danny for a minute, knowing this must be hard for him. "I hope you feel better," she whispered before walking off.

Danny was alone now. He sat at one of the now empty tables and buried his head in his hands, rolling up his jet-black sleeves and staring angrily at the indigo rings on his wrists, which were now glowing brightly. He hated them, knowing for sure now that the palebloods had indeed cursed him. Why, today of all days, on the 10th anniversary of the day his life had been ruined, did this have to happen? _Why? _

What is wrong with me?" Danny whispered harshly, his golden eyes brimming with tears as he pounded the now deserted table with his fists. "What kind of creature have I become?"

A/N: Well, there's the second chapter! Read and Review!


	3. Leaving

A/N: Yay, more reviews! Too bad not many people like AU stories, I like them!:) Anyway, I present to you the next chapter of Crytopyrite!

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Danny sat quietly in his dorm room, being extremely careful not to wake Tucker. He knew that if Tucker woke up now, he would see what Danny was doing, and he didn't want anyone to know...at least, not yet. He stared at the cover of the book he was holding, a dark blue book with a white outline of a hand on it, called "_The Book of Lost Knowledge_", that he had got from the library. In a way, it was his now, as the Cryto librarian, Mr. Lancer, had said the book had never been checked out because no one ever looked for it.

"Frankly, I doubt anyone knew it was there," he had said with a smile. "Of all the students here, if anyone were to have an interest in it, I suspected it would be you, Mr. Fenton."

The librarian had even let Danny keep another forgotten book: _Elemental Myths and Legends_, which Danny was very thankful for. However, he had looked through the index as soon as he was sure Tuck was asleep, and had found nothing about the indigo rings on his wrists that he detested so strongly.

However, this wasn't the only thing on Danny's mind. He had a strange dream the night before and was trying to figure out what it meant. He had been walking through a dimly lit hallway that seemed to have tiny red jewels all over the walls. At the end of the hallway, he had seen a cluster of huge ruby-like gems on the wall, as well as a swirling ice-blue ball with a slight orange glow in the center. The strange, orb-like ball was placed on an altar in the middle of the room. He had walked toward it, suddenly yearning to know what it was...and then he had woken up.

The dream had only lasted a minute, but Danny knew it had to mean something important, he could feel it right down to his core. The question was, what?

"As if I didn't have enough to worry about," Danny muttered to himself. He told himself to relax; he couldn't worry about the dream right now. Danny stretched out and looked at the clock. "8:52, almost time for breakfast," he thought aloud, "better wake up Tucker."

The moment Danny tapped Tucker on the shoulder, his friend woke up with a start and stared at Danny, a little annoyed for waking him up.

"C'mon," Danny urged Tucker while pulling him out of bed, "it's almost time for breakfast."

"Eh, okay," Tucker mumbled, still sleepy. He started to get up right before flopping back down again. "Do I have to?"

Danny managed a light chuckle. "Either I wake you up now your you get blasted out of dreamland by the bell."

"Alright, alright!" Tucker groaned sleepily. "I'm coming!"

The two quickly got dressed and ran to the lunch hall where breakfast was being served. A few people said "Hi" to Tucker as he walked in, but the moment they saw Danny, they quickly turned away and pretended not to notice him.

"Hi, Tucker!" an 8-year-old Pyro girl named Ashley called from the other side of the lunch hall as the two were getting breakfast. She waved until she saw that Danny was there. The moment Danny turned his gaze toward Ashley, her silvery eyes widened in terror. She slowly began to back away from the two, pointing her small, trembling hand at Danny. "Get away from me, you freak!" the young girl screamed as she ran out.

By now, everyone in the lunch hall was staring at Danny. As he and Tucker walked to the their usual table, Danny couldn't help noticing a nervous look on Tucker's face.

"Is Tucker _afraid_ of me?" Danny questioned himself. He pushed his mind away from that thought. Tucker wouldn't be afraid of him...would he? After yesterday's incident, he wasn't so sure.

As Danny and Tucker reached the table, he noticed that Dash and Valerie didn't even say "Hi", and that Seraphine was turned away from him. His friends had nervous, almost scared, looks on their faces, and as soon as Danny sat down, all the Crytos at that table moved away at once.

"Hey!" a 14 year-old Pyro boy called out to Danny. "Shouldn't you be over here, on the Pyro side? I mean, after what happened yesterday…"

"He's a Cryto, Peter!" Valerie shouted defensively. "You know that!"

"Oh yeah?" jeered the Cryto girl who had been burned by Danny the night before. "You call _him_ a Cryto? He burned my hand with FIRE! He doesn't belong here!"

Danny felt as if he had just gotten stabbed with a dagger. How could they say that?! He looked around the lunch hall helplessly, as the Crytos and Pyros began arguing...about him.

"Well he certainly doesn't belong on the Pyro side! Like that Valerie girl said, he was born as a Cryto!"

"But he used _fire_!"

"What does it matter? He doesn't belong on either side! He's not a Pyro or a Cryto!"

"It was just an accident!"

"Accident? Likely story! The humans must of sent him as a spy! He could go out of control and hurt us all!"

"He's a monster!" Peter exclaimed. "He can never belong!"

Danny looked around him at all the shouting Crytos and Pyros. He turned to his friends, hoping they would support him, but all he saw in their eyes was suspicion and confusion. Suddenly, a fleeting vision of the ice-blue orb appeared.

"That dream again!" Danny thought to himself, as he shook his head, clearing the vision from his mind. This was the last straw for the distressed Cryto. With an angry glance at everyone, he stuffed his uneaten breakfast in a small bag he had and ran out of the room.

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For the rest of the day, Danny didn't leave his room. He only allowed himself to leave for lunch and dinner, where he just put his food in a bag and went back to his room. Danny hadn't eaten anything all day, but he didn't care now, he would need it later. He leafed through the myths and legends book desperately, searching for something, _anything_, about the rings. No luck. Danny didn't have to worry about missing his training courses, because he had Tucker tell his mentors that he was sick. In a way, this was true. He was sick of the taunting, sick of the accusations, sick of the fear in everyone's eyes.

Sick of others saying he didn't belong.

Sighing, Danny picked up a pen and a piece of paper and began to write.

_Dear, Tucker, Valerie, Dash, Seraphine, and everyone else, _

_I have now lived at Elementum Academy for 10 years, and I have enjoyed being here and knowing all of you. However, I am afraid now is the time when I must leave you. Lately, I can feel that I have not been myself, that there is something else that I must do, somewhere else I must go. _

_You all saw the incident yesterday when I somehow used fire by accident. I don't know how or why it happened, but it did. I am deeply sorry that I hurt someone, but it was an accident, and I couldn't control it. I believe that the palebloods cursed me 10 years ago when they attacked my home, and that could be a reason why it happened. _

_There's one thing I know for certain: I don't belong here, and am seen as a freak and a monster. I'm beginning to doubt that I belong anywhere. I don't want to leave all my friends behind, but if it means finding my true home in this world, then it is what I must do. _

_I'll miss all of you. _

_Danny_

As Danny concluded his letter, he barely noticed that there were smears on the paper, as he had been crying while writing it. He packed all his clothes, food, and belongings into a bag he had prepared. He hesitantly looked at the clock. 9:30pm, perfect.

Danny silently slunk out of his room, hanging his letter on the door. With a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, he walked through the hallways down to the bottom floor of Elementum Academy. He walked out the front door into the cool night air, all the while making sure no one had seen him. Danny took one last look at the building that had been his home, his sanctuary, for 10 years. His golden eyes were filled with pain and sorrow.

"Goodbye, everyone," Danny whispered sadly, as he turned from the building and walked away without looking back.


	4. Visions in the Forest

A/N: Yay, I got more reviews! (is happy) So, Danny has left the Academy, what will happen now? Here's the next chapter!

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Back at Elementum Academy, Tucker was jolted awake at 7:30 in the morning by a loud rapping on the door.

"Tucker!" an annoyed voice practically screamed, banging on the door more forcefully now. "Tuck, please WAKE UP! It's urgent!"

Tucker was annoyed at being woken up so early, but if it was urgent, he had to answer the door whether he waned to or not. He slowly opened the door and saw Valerie standing there with a worried look on her face and a piece of paper clenched in her hand. "Oh, hey Val," Tucker said sleepily, "what's up?"

Valerie looked like she was ready to explode. "What's up? WHAT'S UP? Did you not see this note on your door? And did you fail to notice that Danny's not here?"

Tucker shook his head for a minute. "No, I didn't see any note..." Suddenly, Tucker's sleepiness disappeared almost instantaneously. "What do you mean he's not here?!" he gasped as he frantically looked through all of Danny's drawers only to find that all his belongings were gone.

"Oh, I supposes you didn't read _this_, huh?!" Valerie half whispered, half screamed as she thrust the note into Tucker's hands.

Tucker took one look over the note and realized it was true. Their friend had run away from the academy and gone off to who-knows where. "When do you think he went off?" Tucker asked, clearly puzzled by his friend's disappearance.

"How am I supposed to know?" Valerie shouted angrily at Tucker. Before she could say anything else, Dash came running toward the two.

"What's all the commotion about?" Dash questioned. "I could hear your banging all the way down the hall, Valerie, what happened?"

Valerie looked at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes as she showed Dash the letter.

"Danny's gone."

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Several miles away, Danny woke up in a dense part of the forest that surrounded where Elementum Academy was. He made sure he was far enough away from the academy before he fell asleep the night before, so that if he encountered any palebloods, at least his friends would be safe.

"It's kind of nice here," Danny thought to himself as he slowly ate one of the apples he'd packed, "living away from all those loud noises and chaos." He knew, however, that he couldn't stay in one spot too long. He had to find a place that he could truly call "home", as it was the primary reason he had run away in the first place. The small area had been a nice place to camp out for the night though.

"I have to keep searching," Danny said out loud as he walked. "The farther away I go from the acadamy, the safer my friends are and the closer I am to my true home...at least, I hope so." An unnerving thought suddenly crept into his mind: _What if I don't belong anywhere? _Danny shook his head, of course he belonged somewhere. "Don't think like that, Fenton!" he scolded himself, pushing the thought out of his mind.

Another unnerving thought suddenly occurred to Danny, and this one was crucial. "Where am I going to get any food?" he though desperately. He had enough rations for about two days, but after they ran out, what then? The forest seemed barren and lifeless, and he hadn't seen a single fruit tree anywhere, just twisted vines. He figured that was the reason Vlad had chosen this forest to conceal the Academy from the palebloods. He found the appearance of the forest unsettling, as he remembered that this was where most of the Academy's food came from. If that was true though, why was the forest so shriveled?

Danny didn't want to starve to death, but who knew how big the forest was? Sure, if he was really desperate he could use icicles thanks to him being a Cryto, but they wouldn't be able to sustain him for very long. It could be weeks before he saw another Elemental who could help, let alone a paleblood.

After about two hours of wandering, lost and with no idea what to do, Danny sat down on the ground, retrieving _The Book of Lost Knowledge_ from his bag.

"Maybe there will be some answers in here," he said. He tried to open the book...and for some reason, he couldn't. No matter how much Danny pulled, he couldn't get the book to open. Danny's eyes turned toward the white hand in the center of the book cover, which seemed to be indented, and brighter than before. "I wonder..." Danny murmured to himself as he placed his right hand flat down on the book.

Almost at once, the indigo rings glowed a dark blue, and a searing pain shot through Danny's right hand. He attempted to remove his hand, but it was as if an electric current was causing his hand to be stuck there. The rings glowed even brighter as a white glow seemed to come from the hand on the book's cover. The pain only seemed to grow, and Danny could no longer see the forest that surrounded him. He could only see and hear, in quick instantaneous flashes, visions that caused his body to shake as the pain grew more intense with each passing second.

_The ball on the altar... _

_A scent of fire... _

_The terrified voices of his friends... _

_A cold evil laugh... _

_A deadly paleblood weapon... _

_Destruction and death... _

Danny shut his eyes. He felt that everything was spinning around him. The pain, the visions, the voices...it was all too much for him to bear. As he slowly began to lose consciousness, he felt that he could hear another voice among the visions-one that was strange...but somehow familiar.

"_Danny...Danny!" _

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A/N: You know what to do: read and review!


	5. Not All Palebloods Are Evil

A/N: Well, I'm back with the next chapter! Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! For those of you who were wondering when Sam would show up…well, I think now is when you'll get your answer! Enjoy, and ready and review!

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Within a few hours, the entire population of Elementum Academy, both students and mentors, had received word of Danny's disappearance. Besides those few students who were happy that "the ice-fire freak" was gone, everyone else was worried about Danny, Tucker, Serephine, Dash and Valerie being the most concerned. It didn't take very long for Vlad to find out about it as well, since through the hallways, it seemed it was all the students were talking about. Therefore, Vlad decided to call a meeting.

"Alright, everyone, settle down," Vlad ordered when the students and faculty were all assembled. "I am sure that you all know we are here to discuss the matter of Danny Fenton's disappearance. The question is, what do you all think we should do about it?"

"I say 'good riddance freak boy!'" laughed the Pyro boy who had said Danny was a monster. He then got a hard kick from Seraphine, and angry glares from almost everyone else.

"Be quiet, Peter!" Seraphine shouted at the boy, her metallic eyes giving off a cold look that clearly said, "Say anymore, and you die."

After a long, hard look at Peter, Vlad continued. "I've known Daniel for all the years that he's lived here, and I know the surrounding area more than anyone else here. After all, I'm one of the few who regularly ventures into the forest. I believe that I should be the one to go find him. All who agree say 'Aye'"

"AYE!" shouted Tucker, Valerie, Seraphine, and Dash all at once.

"Aye!" said nearly everyone else.

Peter was one of the few who didn't say 'Aye'. He simply sat down and groaned in annoyance.

Vlad smiled. "It's settled, then," he said, "tomorrow I shall set out and search for Danny.

This resulted in a burst of applause from all sides of the lunch hall, Crytos and Pyros cheering for Vlad and his quest to find Danny.

"Mrs. Frost will take over while I'm gone, " Vlad announced as a final statement. "You are all dismissed."

As everyone began to file out of the lunch hall, Tucker, Valerie, Seraphine and Dash seemed to have a plan of their own. Valerie was the first one to speak.

"We're going to find Danny."

"What?" Tucker asked, startled. "Vlad's going, can't he handle it?"

Valerie sighed. "Most likely, but Vlad's going tomorrow. I think we should tell our mentors we're going to help find Danny, and set out tonight." At first, she got no response from her friends, until Seraphine spoke up.

"Valerie's right," Seraphine said, addressing the group. "I mean, come on you guys, we're Danny's best friends! He might get captured by humans and need our help."

The group nodded in agreement as they walked out of the room, none of them noticing that Vlad was still there, though he was too far away to hear what they were planning. Lost in his own thoughts, a small smile crept up on his face.

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In the forest, Danny slowly began to regain consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes, turning his gaze toward the sky. The sun was no longer shining, and the stars twinkled in the inky black night sky.

Danny slowly sat up, the memory of the strange visions and voices coming back to him. "Gosh, how long was I out?" he wondered to no one in particular.

"About 8 hours," a voice said out of nowhere.

Danny practically jumped in surprise. He hadn't expected anyone to answer back! He looked around to find the source of the voice, suddenly spotting a black-haired girl by a small fire, about Danny's age. His eyes narrowed suddenly as he realized: the girl didn't have the light blue skin of the Crytos, or the slightly scarlet Pyro skin. Her skin was pale. That could only mean...

"You're a paleblood!" Danny hissed, standing up to confront her. As soon as he did though, he fell back down as a horrible pain shot up his left leg. What was going on? Had the girl harmed him somehow?

"Don't move!" the girl panicked, running over to Danny to make him stay down. "You badly sprained your ankle after that fall you had, you need to rest!"

Danny tried to move away from her but his ankle was immobilized with pain. His golden eyes stared angrily at her. "Why do you care?" he snarled angrily. "Get away from me! I'm warning you, if you dare try to harm me, I'll make sure you pay for it!"

"Calm down!" the girl insisted. "My name's Sam. I won't hurt you, I promise!" She sat down next to him. "Just stay still and let me examine your ankle."

"No!" Danny glared at her. "For all I know, you might poison me! I don't take orders from your kind," he hissed. "You're a paleblood, your kind destroyed my family, my home, my LIFE!"

Sam sighed. "You know, not all 'palebloods' as you call them, are evil. Even if some of you stubborn Crytos believe that."

"Yeah, well-" Danny suddenly stopped in midsentence, staring hard at the girl. "You know...what I am?"

Sam gave Danny a warm smile, tightening her black coat around herself. "Of course I know, I have quite a few friends who are Pyros and Crytos."

Danny glanced at her warily. The girl seemed nice enough, but he still was nervous. Her kind had, after all, killed his family and nearly killed him. "Prove it!"

A small smile crept on Sam's face as she pulled out a black wallet. She took out a few pictures of Pyros and Crytos. "Recognize any of these?"

Danny leapt up as he stared at the pictures. "That's Roberto!" he exclaimed, pointing to a picture of a red-haired Pyro. "He's Seraphine's brother! He graduated from Elementum Academy last year!"

"Exactly! Sam said. "He's in a special group I founded to keep my Elemental friends safe. If my parents found out though, they'd totally kill me. They _despise_ Elementals." With a sigh, she extended a hand toward Danny with some kind of yellow, crescent-shaped fruit he didn't recognize. "You must be hungry. Want a banana?" When Danny gave her a cautious look, the girl broke off a part of the banana for herself. "See? It's harmless, I didn't poison it or anything!"

Danny slowly reached out his right hand to take the banana, only to find it was wrapped in some kind of cloth, and glanced at the girl for an explanation.

"Your hand was bleeding pretty badly," she answered. "It should be okay now though." She gently unwound the cloth from Danny's hand, revealing dried blue blood covering his hand.

Danny nodded in understanding, and slowly took a bite of the banana. Though the paleblood's fruit was unfamiliar to him, he instantly loved it, and quickly ate the rest of the banana. Danny gave the paleblood girl a small smile. "Thank you. You're name's…Sam, right?"

"No problem," Sam answered, returning the smile. "My name's Sam Manson. Well, my real name's Samantha" she said, making a disgusted face, "but I hate the name Samantha, so people call me Sam for short."

To Sam's surprise, Danny laughed for the first time in days. "Okay. Sam, huh? My name's Danny. Daniel Fenton to my mentors, Danny to everyone else."

"Danny," Sam said after a moment, giving him a curious stare. "I like that name."

Danny smiled. Sam actually seemed pretty nice, for a paleblood anyway. "I like yours too."

Sam handed a blanket to Danny for the night. As Danny smiled in gratitude for the blanket, he noticed that Sam was beginning to set up a tent she had brought along. He cocked his head in confusion. "What's the tent for, Sam?"

Sam gave Danny a surprised look. "What, you don't think I'm going to just leave you out here all alone, do you? Someone needs to look after you."

Danny shook his head as he pulled the blanket closer to him. "Maybe palebloods aren't so bad after all," he thought contently. "At least, some of them."

"Good night, Sam," Danny called out as he drifted off to sleep.

Sam turned toward Danny as she got into her tent, smiling. Her new friend looked so peaceful there.

"Good night, Danny."

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A/N: Hope you liked it! Read and review!


	6. Forest Magic

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm here with the next chapter of Crytopyrite! I hope you enjoy it!

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The next morning, Sam was the first one to wake up. Realizing that Danny was still asleep, she moved around quietly, careful not to wake him. She wanted to have breakfast ready for her new friend before he woke up, as a surprise. Besides, Danny wouldn't be able to go too far until his ankle was healed up, so he wouldn't be able to get food for himself until then. Sam struck a match on the wood that remained from last night, and soon a small fire was lit. She got two eggs out from her bag, cracked them, and threw them in the frying pan.

After a few minutes, Sam suddenly heard a small noise to her right. She turned toward the sound, sighing with relief when she realized it was only Danny, who was just waking up.

Danny rubbed his eyes, getting used to the brightness of the morning. "You're up already, Sam?" he asked. "What in the world are you doing up?"

Sam gave Danny a warm smile. "Making breakfast. Scrambled eggs, to be exact. I just finished making them."

Danny blushed slightly at her voice, then realized what he was doing and got control of himself. He slowly started to get up when Sam ran over with a plate of scrambled eggs and stopped him.

"You aren't going anywhere Danny, until that ankle of yours is healed." Sam said sternly. "I'm happy to bring your food over to you, and if you need anything, just let me know, okay?"

Danny nodded, a little surprised at how much Sam was caring for him. Then again, she had quite a few friends who were Elementals. "No problem Sam, and thanks."

Sam sat down beside Danny as they started to eat their scrambled eggs. "It's the least I can do. Besides, I've needed some company. I was looking around here to find some Elemental fruits-to give to my friends, you know-and then I found you."

"Well if your looking for fruits, I am not the guy to ask," Danny said with a laugh. "I couldn't find any fruits around here. Then again, I've never really looked around the forest before. We're not really allowed."

"Well, it is a pretty big forest, even for someone like me who's been through it quite a few times." Sam replied as she put their paper plates away. "Wait a minute!" she suddenly whispered to Danny, "I hear something."

"Danny strained his ear to listen. He heard something too. He could tell it was a voice, but he couldn't quite hear what it was saying. "Stay here Sam, I'll go look."

"No you won't!" Sam whispered. "The forest can be dangerous for someone who's never been through it before, and besides, your ankle still needs to heal. I'll go."

Sam quietly slunk through the trees, following the voice. Soon, she could hear the voice saying "Daniel, where are you?" in a strangely familiar voice. Sam walked closer, wondering who could possibly be searching for Danny. Soon, however, she saw the person who was speaking, and gasped in horror. It was Vlad Masters.

"No," she whispered. "That despicable Pyro! He can't be _here_, he'll find us!" She shook her head, trying to control her fear. "No, I will _not _allow a repeat of the past. I won't allow Vlad to do what he did 10 years ago! " With that, Sam turned around and ran back the way she came.

Danny looked up when he heard a rustling in the trees, knowing that it was Sam. He was surprised, however, when she had an urgent, panicked look on her face.

"Danny! Danny, come on!" Sam said in a rush, gently lifting him up. "We have to get out of here!"

"W-What?" Danny asked, confused. Why was Sam acting so panicked, so frightened?

"We can't stay here," Sam urged Danny, gathering up all her belongings. "Vlad's looking for you!"

"Vlad Masters?" Danny asked, feeling more relaxed now. "Don't worry, I've known him for 10 years, and he hasn't done anything bad." He didn't quite understand why Sam seemed so scared. Suddenly, reality hit him like a fireball. "Oh drat! He might try to take me back to the Academy!" When Sam gave him an odd look, he explained. "I ran away. I somehow accidentally used fire and Vlad found out about..." Danny faltered for a second. Should he tell her? She seemed pretty understanding, and had cared for him through the night. Sam could be trusted. "…these." Danny finished. He slowly rolled up his sleeves and showed the indigo rings to Sam.

Sam stared at the indigo rings with a mixture of shock, amazement, and…was that realization on Sam's face? "I-It's true," she whispered, as she gently reached out and touched one of the rings.

Danny shut his eyes, expecting a wave of pain to come as when Vlad had touched it. To his amazement, there was no pain, no torturous reliving of the horrible moment when he had been attacked by the paleblood's machine. Just a sense of relief, of freedom...of _belonging_. He opened his eyes, staring in shock as the rings glowed. Not dark blue as it had been when Vlad touched it, but a bright, light blue.

As the glow of the rings faded, Danny realized that the pain in his ankle had vanished. He shook his ankle. It was totally fine, as if it had never been sprained at all. Danny gazed at Sam with wonder shining in his eyes.

Sam then looked at Danny almost sorrowfully. "Look, Danny, I know you think he's looking for you just because you ran away, but this is urgent! You don't know the truth, the full truth! Of Vlad, the Cryto village destruction, of the legend, of everything!"

Danny shook his head. "Wait…how'd you know about the destruction of my home? I don't quite understand. What full truth? What legend?"

"Trust me, I'll explain later," Sam said urgently, looking wildly around her. "The longer we stay here, the more danger we're in! We have to leave now if we don't want to be found!"

With a final look around, the pair quietly ran toward the edge of the forest.

"You can't fool me Vlad," Sam whispered within her mind as she and Danny ran. "You took Danny away from me once...I won't let that happen again!"

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Danny and Sam finally reached the edge of the forest, both exhausted and out of breath. Sam looked at Danny gratefully.

"You're safe," she whispered, as if Vlad was right behind them. listening in. "For now, you're safe."

Danny stared at Sam quizzically. "Why are you so concerned about me?" he asked. "You should be worrying about yourself! You aren't an Elemental, so you have no powers to defend you if anything happens!"

Sam was exasperated now. If they could just reach their destination, she could tell Danny everything she knew, but now, with Vlad lurking in the shadows, she had to be careful. "Danny, don't you understand? I'm worried about you because...if you are lost, then we _all_ are lost."

"Why can't you tell me now?" Danny asked, exasperated as well. He wanted to know what secrets were hiding around him, why Sam seemed so scared of Vlad. He wanted answers.

"If I tell you here," Sam whispered to him, "we risk being caught. When we get to the Hideout, I'll tell you." She pointed toward a city in the distance. "You see that city there?"

Danny nodded, curious. Most of the city's buildings were like small skyscrapers, but there was one spiral-shaped building that towered above the rest.

"Well, that tall, silver spiral building is where my parents work. They're job is to exterminate Elementals. I _despise_ it, but unfortunately, we live there, so I have to listen to Elementals being tortured every day." Sam shuddered at the thought. "That's why I ran away, and found a place for me and my Elemental friends to stay hidden. That's where I'm taking you."

"You're not taking our friend anywhere, human!" a voice shouted.

Danny and Sam practically jumped a foot in the air. Sam looked petrified, but Danny knew that voice. His suspicions were confirmed as he saw Tucker, Seraphine, Dash, and Valerie step out of the woods.

"Give back our friend, and no one gets hurt!" Tucker shouted at Sam, whose voice Danny had just heard. Tucker and the others in the group began charging up their Elemental beams.

Danny stepped in front of Sam, acting as a shield. "Guys! She's harmless! She's trying to help me!"

"Oh?" Seraphine asked suspiciously. "I don't know if we should believe you. The Danny that I know would never trust a paleblood. Prove that you're really Danny."

A sly grin appeared across Danny's face. With one hand, he shot ice energy, and with the other, he shot fire. "Is that proof enough for you?"

The group nodded, all of them muttering "Oh yeah, that's proof alright!"

Danny smiled. "Okay guys, this is Sam Manson. Sam, this is Tucker Foley, Valerie Gray, Dash Baxter, and Seraphine Ignitron."

"Hi Sam," said Tucker, Dash, Valerie and Seraphine.

Danny nodded, pleased that all his friends were getting on good terms. "Okay, now that introductions are out of the way, it's time we got down to business."

"Whoa, what business?" Dash inquired. "You have to go back to the Academy! That's why we're out here, to look for you!"

Danny sighed. "Look guys, the whole reason I left is to find a place where I belong! Sam here is a friend with a bunch of our kind, and she's taking me to a place where they are. I'm going no matter what. Are you in, or are you out?"

The group whispered to each other for about a minute, then turned to Danny and Sam. "We're in!"

Danny smiled, glad that his friends were now there to help him along.

It was then that Sam spoke up. "Okay everyone, let's get going! If we hurry, we should make it to the city by nightfall!"

Without asking any questions, the group started on.

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A/N: Well, what do you know? Looks like Sam has some secrets of her own! And Danny's friends are now along for the ride! As for the legend that Sam mentioned, you'll find out next chapter! Remember to review!


	7. The Legend

A/N: Hi everybody! I'm back with a new chapter! Yes, I am building up to something, and in this chapter, we learn about the legend! I won't keep you in suspense anymore, so on with the phic!

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It was about 8:00 at night by the time the group reached the interior of the city. Sam kept warning everyone else to stay close beside her, as if the searchlights picked up an Elemental within their sights, they would be tracked and found soon enough. Luckily, the group managed to escape the searchlight's notice, although Tucker was so fascinated by a run-down paleblood tank that he almost got caught.

"Well, here we are," Sam finally said when they came to a small, deserted shack.

Danny and the others looked around. All it had was a few broken wooded tables, some old, peeling photographs, and a dim light bulb swinging from the ceiling. Where were all the other Elementals?

Noticing the group's unimpressed gazes, Sam gestured over to one of the old paintings and swung it open, revealing a large passageway that she led the group through.

When they finally got through, Danny was absolutely amazed, as was everyone else. There were many other Elementals there, who came over and greeted them.

"Hey everyone," Sam announced. "This is Danny and his friends, Tucker, Seraphine, Dash, and Valerie."

"Seraphine!" an 18-year-old Pyro called out, running over to her and giving her a hug. "Long time no see! Surprising to see you here!"

"Roberto!" Seraphine exclaimed, embracing her brother. "I never thought I'd see you again so soon!"

Danny smiled to himself. He hadn't seen Seraphine this happy since Roberto had graduated.

"Hello!" many Elementals called out to the newcomers. "Welcome to L.E.O.!"

Seraphine gaze Sam a puzzled glance. "Leo?"

"It stands for the Legends of Elementals Organization." Sam replied. "And speaking of legends..." She suddenly broke away from the group and ran over to a podium with a microphone. "Attention everyone!" she began, "As you know, we have discussed many of the old Elemental legends so far, but one in particular is beginning to come to pass."

There was a murmur of agreement from the other Elementals, while Danny and his friends stood there in confusion.

"Oh, I think I know which one she's talking about," Roberto whispered to Seraphine. "She says she's been researching it for the last 10 years."

"Shhh!" Seraphine hushed him, "I want to hear about the legend.

"This legend has been said to be one of the most important legends in Elemental history," Sam continued. "It fortells the coming of a time when the strength of the Elements themselves will be tested. I am sure you all have noticed how the life around us seems to be dying, and even the Forest of Life is losing its fruit."

"That must be the forest we were just in," Danny whispered to Tucker, then looked up to hear Sam again. Whatever Sam was getting to, it seemed to be something big.

"We are now entering a time where one of the greatest of all Elemental evils is about to be unleashed," Sam went on. "As the legend says, there is only one person who can stop it. Even if the evil is vanquished, however, there shall be many deaths, of Elementals and humans alike. This is the legend I would like to read to you tonight. It is the legend of the Crytopyrite."

A hush fell around the room, but Danny's brain was whirring with excitement. This was the legend that Sam had been speaking of. Now, the truth-or at least part of it-would finally be revealed.

Sam's gaze suddenly fell on Danny in the back of the room. Smiling, she spoke into the microphone again. "Danny, come over here up front. This legend is important, and you are the one of us who truly needs to hear it." Sam picked up her own _Myths and Legends_ book and began to read, making sure the Elementals were paying attention, especially Danny:

_Born on the Unknown, the day of the 4th year,_

_A Cryto soon cursed by darkness, pain, and fear._

_On the very same day, with the soul of a singer,_

_Another is born, the young Cryto's Lifebringner._

_The secretive Dark One, of evil and lies,_

_Soon plans to make sure the Cryto's village dies._

_Death and destruction, a burning dark spy,_

_With help from the palebloods, Elementals will die._

_But come a dark pain filled with fire and with ice,_

_The Crytopyrite gains power from the Dark One's device._

_The truth from him stolen, he's left in the dark,_

_But the Dark One then gives him a powerful mark._

_Power takes him over; pain fills him with spite,_

_But to destroy the darkness, the Crytopyrite must fight._

_A strange deadly secret, the Dark One's Death Flood,_

_A sacrifice shall be made with the Crytopyrite's blood._

_The Orb of the Cryto, fire and ice become one,_

_The sacrifice is complete, and the evil is done._

Sam then closed the book, everyone staring at her with wide eyes. Danny, however, suddenly had a feeling of realization come over him. Shaking, he raised his hand. "Why exactly did you want me to hear this?" He had an idea, but needed Sam to confirm it.

Sam stared hard at Danny. The truth could not be kept from him any longer. Now was the time to reveal the truth-to Danny, to his friends, and to all the Elementals in the room. Her violet eyes stared into Danny's golden ones, seeming to penetrate him nearly to his core.

"Danny...you're the Crytopyrite."

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A/N: So now Danny finally knows about the legend! However, there is still a dark secret that he must learn! What is it? …Find out next chapter (which I promise will be a lot longer)! Read and review!


	8. Truth of the Past

A/N: Thanks for reviewing everybody! Oh, and to answer your question dragon of spirits, yes, I did make up the legend. I know you're eager to find out what happens, so I won't have you wait any longer!

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Absolute silence filled the room. Danny stared at Sam like he had no idea what she had just said, and everyone else was staring at Danny in wonder.

Danny finally found his voice. "Sam, if I really _am_ the Crytopyrite...how do you know?"

Sam smiled, opening up the _Myths and Legends_ book to the page with the legend she had just read. "First off, when's your birthday, Danny?"

"February 29th, 2024," Danny answered, slightly confused. "I celebrate it on the 28th though when it's not a leap year."

"See Danny?" Sam said. "That's the first clue! February 29th is the 'day of the 4th year', because it only comes once every 4 years!"

There were murmurs of excitement all around the room, until one voice rose above the others.

"If Danny's the Crytopyrite," Tucker asked, stepping forward, "then who is his Lifebringer?"

Now it was Danny's turn to smile. Through his experience in the Forest of Life, he already knew. "When's your birthday Sam?"

"February 29th, 2024," Sam answered with a nod towards Danny. "Same as yours!"

"Prove it!" Dash suddenly spoke up, "Prove that you're Danny's Lifebringer!"

"Gladly," Sam said as she picked up a butter knife from a table and dug it into Danny's arm.

Danny winced a little, but he knew that it would be over in a minute. He gave Sam a knowing glance and nodded to her, letting her know that he understood.

"What'd you do that for?" Valerie protested. "You hurt him!"

Sam didn't reply. She gently rolled up Danny's sleeves, exposing the indigo rings. She touched one of the rings, which glowed with a light blue light, and as if by magic, the cut was healed.

Everyone besides Sam and Danny gasped in complete shock, especially Danny's friends, who hadn't known about the rings before. The angry look on Valerie's face disappeared almost instantly.

"These rings," Sam continued, "are the 'powerful mark' spoken of in the legend." Sam turned to Danny now, looking serious. "Danny...did anyone else besides me see and touch these rings before I did?"

Danny nodded, a little hesitant. "Just Vlad."

"Sam suddenly looked panicked, instantly grabbing Danny's hand. "What happened when he touched them?"

Danny sighed. He was reluctant to say it, but the more truth she knew, the better. "I felt a horrible pain...and I was reliving the pain of that paleblood machine...the Crusher...when it nearly killed me. It felt like…like fire within ice."

A knowing look seemed to pass over Sam's face. "When that...actually happened to you...do you remember what happened after that?"

Danny shook his head. "Not really. I just remember falling unconscious, and when I woke up, Vlad was there, saying I was safe now, and he knew a place where he could take me. I've been at the Academy ever since." The truth was, he had tried to put it out of his mind ever since that happened.

Suddenly, Danny seemed to have a look of remembrance in his eyes. "Wait a minute! I remember...when I was unconscious...I heard a voice...saying it would be alright...telling me to hang on...that the Dark One wouldn't get me..."

It was at this moment, to everyone's surprise, including Danny's, that Sam burst into tears. Everyone stared at her, but she paid them no heed as she ran to Danny and hugged him, crying.

"I-I-I failed!" Sam sobbed. "I'm so sorry!"

"Danny comfortingly wrapped his arms around Sam. "What do you mean you failed?"

Sam's gaze stared into Danny's eyes, tears streaming down her face. "I failed to protect you! I heard Vlad t-talking to my mom and dad...explaining what he was going to do! I ran to try to save your family...but it was too late!"

Danny gasped as realization filled him. "Vlad ordered that attack? But he always told me that he tried to _save _us from the palebloods! He even gave me lessons in reading people's auras, and he seemed sincere about it!"

Sam gave Danny a forlorn look. "How long did you do aura reading for?"

"A month," Danny answered in confusion, "but why-"

"Oh don't you see Danny?" Sam nearly shouted now, tear-stricken. "Vlad has been doing that aura stuff for _years_! He only made it seem like he was telling the truth, but he's been _lying_ to you Danny, he's the Dark One! For 10 years he's kept the truth from you! It's time that you saw the truth of what happened that day!" Sam suddenly gabbed Danny's bag, leafing through it until she pulled out one of the books Danny had brought: _The Book of Lost Knowledge_. There were now two handprints on the book instead of just one. "Place your right hand on the book," she instructed Danny.

"I don't understand," Danny whispered. "How-"

"This book has strange powers," Sam replied. "It can tell about the past and future when there is a great need for it."

Danny stared at the cover of the book in confusion, but obeyed and put his right hand on the book, at the same time as Sam placed her left hand on it. "Why are we doing this?" Danny asked as suddenly the room seemed to disappear around them.

Sam looked at Danny. "We're going to see the truth of what happened 10 years ago! Then you shall know the truth!"

As she spoke, a white mist swirled around the two, obscuring them from the rest of the people in the room. When the mist finally cleared, they weren't in the room any longer, but in a familiar looking icy village. Danny gasped as he realized that they were at the Cryto village 10 years before. The entire town seemed empty, and many of the houses were torn apart. "How is this possible?" Danny asked.

"The book is giving us a vision of what happened 10 years ago." Sam whispered. "The streets are deserted."

"Of course they are," Danny whispered back. "This is just after that machine killed almost everyone."

Suddenly, the scene shifted, and they weren't alone any longer. A huge, white tank-like machine came down the street, closely pursuing 4 people. Danny gasped. "T-That's _me_!" He said in a hushed whisper. "And my parents! And Jazz!" Danny and Sam were quiet, listening to what was going on.

"Come on!" Jack Fenton screamed. "We have to keep running!"

"Are we the only ones left Mom?" nine year-old Jazz asked, clinging to her mother.

Maddie Fenton nodded. "I'm afraid so sweetie."

Danny was surprised to hear his younger, 7 year-old self suddenly speak up. "Why are they doing this? Why do the palebloods hate us?"

"Who cares why they hate us?" Danny's dad asked, glancing fearfully behind him. "They're trying to kill us!"

Suddenly, one of the Crusher's tentacle-like arms reached out and grabbed Jack's leg, sending Danny flying out of his arms.

"JACK!" Maddie screamed, attempting to free him by freezing the claw that held him. It didn't work. Another claw reached for Maddie and Jazz, trapping them. Suddenly a glowing blue power beam seemed to erupt from the claws that imprisoned them, shooting out something that looked like white, icy fire. The Fentons screamed as they seemed to freeze over.

Young Danny looked back in horror and fear. "Mom! Dad! Jazz! NOOO!!!!"

Maddie gazed toward her son, a look of terror in her golden eyes that matched Danny's. "Danny, save yourself! _RUN_!"

Those were her last words, as all 3 of the Fentons froze over, until the power of the beams was so great, that their frozen forms shattered, disintegrating them. Sam had a look of terror in her eyes, but Danny turned away, shaking, his eyes brimming with tears.

Meanwhile, younger Danny didn't waste any time. Terrified, he ran off, with the machine following close behind. It wasn't long before the machine caught up, however, and it's metallic claws wrapped around Danny as the blue fire-ice energy hit him. He screamed, and Sam gasped as she saw him fall unconscious. The machine suddenly seemed to break down. The arms loosened their grip, and fell to the ground, taking younger Danny with them.

Danny finally turned toward the scene, and realized why the machine had stopped. A young girl with black hair and violet eyes had just turned it off, and was now climbing down, racing toward Danny. It was Sam. Danny turned toward the present-day Sam, about to say something. However, she silenced him, turning toward the scene.

The younger Sam knelt down beside the now-unconscious Danny, checking to make sure he was unhurt. "You don't seem to be that badly hurt," younger Sam said, unknowingly touching his wrists, which now had the indigo marks. Suddenly, with only present-day Danny and Sam noticing, a faint white light shone from the rings, then faded again.

"I didn't notice those rings until I met you in the forest," Sam whispered to Danny before turning back.

"Younger Sam gently gave Danny a hug. "You'll be alright, don't worry, just hang on. I won't let the Dark One get you. I'll get you somewhere safe."

"All of a sudden, a figure jumped down from the roof of one of the surrounding buildings, and Danny and Sam gasped in recognition. The figure was Vlad. "You won't be taking him _anywhere_, filthy, good-for-nothing paleblood!" he hissed as he threw a fireball that nearly hit Sam.

"The Dark One!" Sam screeched as she jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, as she did, Vlad turned and grabbed Danny.

"Dark One?" Vlad asked with a smirk. "Yes, I see you've heard of the Crytopyrite legend, haven't you? I'll need your little friend someday. Maybe not today, but someday, the time shall come when the bloods sacrifice shall begin, and the Death Flood shall come! Farewell, Lifebringer!" With that, Vlad disappeared in a flash of fire.

Younger Sam looked around frantically, but it was no use. She had failed to protect the Crytopyrite, and now he had been taken by the Dark One. "I'll find you, Crytopyrite," little Sam whispered into the silence. "Before the Death Flood, I'll find you, I promise."

Danny gazed at Sam with a shocked expression. "You were right," he whispered softly to her as the mist came around them again, then faded to show that they were back in the room. Danny's friend's gathered around him, asking what had happened. "Sam was right," Danny said, addressing not just his friends, but everyone in the room. "Vlad is the Dark One."

His friends gasped, not willing to believe it. They trusted Vlad. When they saw the serious expression on Danny's face, however, they changed their minds and realized he was telling the truth.

"I now know what I have to do," Danny said. "I have to defeat Vlad before he uses the power of the Death Flood to destroy us all!" As he declared this, he emitted ice from his right hand, and fire from his left, the power radiating from him like fireworks.

"Oh, what a brave declaration," a voice said out of nowhere, "but too late for that Crytopyrite!"

Everyone, including Danny and Sam, screamed when Vlad entered the room, an evil grin plastered on his face.

Danny's eyes narrowed. "How'd you find us here?"

Vald chuckled. "You'd be surprised as to what aura tracking can do, Daniel," he said with an evil smirk. "Get them!"

Instantly, several palebloods in white suits ran in, shooting a black weapon that expelled a strange purple mist.

Danny stared in horror as everyone in the room slowly began to fall unconscious. He gripped Sam's hand, the two of them trying to fight it together.

Vlad walked over toward the two with a nefarious grin on his face. "My time is nearly here Daniel," he said with a hint of laughter, as he shot his own purple mist-weapon at the two.

Danny and Sam were holding each other tightly now, slowly feeling the effects of the strange mist. "You won't get away with this Vlad," Danny whispered, angrily glaring at Vlad. At that moment, the purple mist became too much for him and Sam, and they fell to the floor and lost consciousness.

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A/N: Hope you liked it! Remember to review!


	9. Awakening

A/N: I know, I know, I left you in suspense in that last chapter! Well, here's the next one for you! Oh, and dragon of spirits, if you feel that way about Vlad now, then…well, let's just say you're not going to like what he does in this chapter. Anyway, on with the phic!

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Danny hesitantly opened his eyes, struggling to focus. At first, he couldn't quite remember what had happened. His vision was cloudy and his body seemed immobilized. Danny gasped as it all came back to him in a sudden rush. The legend...discovering the truth...Vlad causing everyone to fall unconscious, including Danny and Sam…

"Sam!" Danny gasped. He looked wildly around only to find that not only Sam, but all of his friends were gone.

"Ah, good. You're awake, aren't you, Daniel?" an all-too-familiar voice said, as a dark figure stepped out of the shadows, grinning at the Cryto.

"Vlad!" Danny hissed, fully awake now. He attempted to charge at Vlad and knock him over, but something was wrong. He looked down and realized his hands and feet were chained to the wall. Danny struggled, frantically trying to blast his way out using fire and ice. Nothing worked.

Vlad only smirked devilishly at Danny as he watched him struggle to break free of his bounds. "It's no use Danny, those chains that are holding you are made out of a special, Elemental-proof metal that the paleblood girl's parents devised."

Danny's eyes widened suddenly at these words. No, there had to be a way to escape. There had to be! Danny glared angrily at Vlad. "Where are my friends? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THEM?" He fired fire and ice blasts from his eyes even more frantically than before, trying anything to break free and rescue his friends.

Vlad's smile didn't fade. "Go ahead and blast them all you want Daniel, you'll only be weakening yourself. Which, considering what I'll be doing to you, it's all the better for me. As for your friends, they're alive...for now!"

Danny slowly stopped firing the blasts, relieved somewhat that his friends were at least alive. He was still very anxious though, especially what Vlad had said about doing something to him. "What exactly are you planning, Vlad?" Danny asked through gritted teeth, his eyes burning with hatred for his former mentor.

Vlad didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his pocket and took out what looked like a small remote. He pressed a small blue button. "You'll see in a minute."

A powerful electrical shock went through Danny's hands and feet as the chains released him from the wall. Groaning from the pain, but relieved to be unchained, Danny started to run, but found that, once again, he couldn't move. Some strange force within the chains caused Danny's hands and feet to be bound together, and as Vlad pressed another button, a glowing red cage suddenly sprang around Danny, levitating him into the air. "How are you doing all this?!" Danny asked, shocked. True, being in 2041, Danny had seen some pretty advanced technology, but this was unlike anything he'd ever encountered!

Vlad gave Danny an almost proud glance as he began to walk down a dark corridor, the levitating cage that held Danny prisoner following close behind. "As you know, the parents of your paleblood friend are two of the world's top government scientists. They told me to aid them when they found out I could capture the Crytopyrite, so I helped them create all this new technology. That way, when you came here as my captive, you wouldn't be able to escape. I couldn't just bring you here right away though, I had to wait for the right time. The time for your power to be awakened. Now, the legend shall be fulfilled!"

Danny's eyes widened slightly. So Vlad had been working for the palebloods all along! But what was that he was saying about the legend being fulfilled? "What do you mean?"

Vlad snickered as they entered a large, dark room with a stone altar in the middle and an opening in the roof which revealed the stars. "You really are foolish, aren't you Danny? I know you heard the legend, and I am sure you'll remember that part of it states: _A strange deadly secret, the Dark One's Death Flood, a sacrifice shall be made with the Crytopyrite's blood_. You remember this, don't you?"

Danny nodded slowly, his eyes widening in realization and fear. "You mean...I...?"

Vlad smiled evilly at the look on Danny's face. "Yes, Daniel. Your blood is needed to awaken the Death Flood! That is why I needed to wait until you gained your Pyro abilities, so that the Death Flood would be at it's strongest."

Danny shook as Vlad's words sunk in. That was the dark secret! Danny was the true awakener of the Death Flood! His blood would be used to power it! "Are you going to..." he began.

Vlad interrupted Danny before he could finish. "No, I won't kill you now. The legend says that the Death Altar here must taste your blood, but not that you must die." Vlad gestured toward the stone altar in the middle of the room. "Not yet at least."

A voice suddenly broke the silence that passed between the two Elementals. "Danny! Danny, don't give in to him!" Sam suddenly raced into the room, followed by Tucker, Seraphine, Valerie, and Dash. Seraphine's hands had several scars, Tucker had claw marks on his legs, and Dash had what looked like whip marks on his arms, but other than that Danny's friend's seemed okay.

"Guys!" Danny shouted. "You're okay!" His expression suddenly turned worried. "You have to get out of here! It's not safe!" The cage suddenly sent an electrical shock at Danny, silencing him.

Vlad looked surprised for a minute, quickly replaced by a strange calmness. "Oh look Daniel, your little friends are here. Why don't I give them a little _welcoming present_? Vlad turned the remote control toward the group and pressed a square silver button. Instantly, a red web shot out and threw the group against the wall. With a satisfied grin, Vlad turned toward Danny. "Now your little friends will be able to witness my moment of triumph!" He stood next to the Death Altar, then turned toward the cage that held Danny and pressed a dark, circular red button.

Instantly, the cage around Danny disappeared, but a powerful electric current tore through his body. He screamed in agony as the current seemed to shock every nerve in his body. The current was so strong that it caused both of Danny's arms to position themselves on the altar, the rings glowing an intense, dark blue.

"DANNY!" The group screamed. They all realized what was going on: the electrical current was so great that it was causing Vlad to control Danny!

"Perfect," Vlad whispered evilly as he watched the young Cryto's suffering. He advanced toward Danny with a powerful metal blade in his hands, with an electrical current running along it. "Say goodbye to your world, Danny." Vlad whispered, as he dug the metal blade into Danny's skin, right into the rings on his wrists.

Danny screamed in total agony now. The rings on his wrists turned pure black as blue Cryto blood quickly dripped from his wounds. Danny could barely open his eyes, but when he did, he saw that a strange black light had erupted from the altar and shot up into the sky. He could hear Sam and the others calling his name, but he was in too much anguish to answer. Danny felt as if pain was all he had ever known, and he just wanted it to be over, wanted the torture to cease.

Suddenly, the electrical current running through Danny stopped, and he fell to the ground. He weakly lifted his head, and saw that the web holding his friends had vanished, and the group was now rushing to his side to make sure he was alright. "Don't worry guys," Danny whispered, smiling weakly, "I'm still here."

Sam suddenly brought Danny back to the frightening reality of what was happening. She gently helped lift Danny up and pointed toward the sky. "Danny...look."

Danny's gaze now turned from Sam to the hole in the roof. Where there had once been sky was now a dark, swirling form, outlined by a crimson aura.

"At last!" Vlad said, holding up his hand and beckoning the form toward him. "The Death Flood has finally come!"

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A/N: Dun dun DUUN! And the Death Flood arrives, oh no! Will Danny and his friends be able to stop it? Find out next chapter!


	10. Chaos and Sacrifice

A/N: Wow! The story finally reached 50 reviews! Sorry I wasn't able to update sooner! Now, I know you all were left hanging after that cliffhanger, so here's the next chapter! Just as a forewarning…you might need some tissues for this chapter.

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The Death Flood appeared to have a mind all its own, as it twisted in the direction of Danny and his friends. Danny struggled to shrink back, but Vlad had weakened him so much, he could barely move. The Death Flood lightly scraped Danny's shoulder, and he instantly felt a piercing coldness grip him, and his energy draining. The black form pulled away quickly on Vlad's orders, and the cold dissipated. Shivering, Danny looked around at the frightened expressions of his friends, just as fearful as he was.

Vlad smirked as he noticed Danny's pained expression. "Yes, it hurts doesn't it Daniel? Don't worry though; I don't intend to kill you quite yet. You need to suffer a little more...watch your friends and your world die at the hands of the Death Flood that _you_ helped bring about!"

Danny stood up suddenly, his body shaking from the pain he had suffered. He was hurt, but he was not going to let Vlad think he was weak. "You're a sick, cruel, and evil man Vlad! Why did you kill my family and lie to me all these years?"

Vlad smiled, knocking Danny to the ground with a whip he had been carrying in his pocket. "You really are a naive one, aren't you Daniel? Your father was an idiot, and your mother didn't deserve to be with him. Your sister was merely an annoyance that I had to dispose of."

"Don't you DARE talk about my family like that you despicable cretin!" Danny screamed, running toward Vlad in a mad and hateful rush. His anger, however, had caused him to forget about his injuries, and he collapsed on the floor again.

Vlad seemed to pay Danny no attention. "Too weak to retort, aren't you, Crytopyrite? As for why I lied to you, it's because I had to manipulate your trust, so you would be blind to the power you contained within you, until the time was right...the time for my reign to begin!" He gestured toward the Death Flood hovering next to him. "That time is now Daniel, and I must go."

"Go where?" Sam and Danny asked at once, fierce malice burning within both their eyes.

"Why to Elementum Academy and the Forest of Life of course!" Vlad said with a maniacal laugh. "Best if I destroy your Elemental food supply, and all your friends before I destroy you!" With a crimson light, Vlad and the Death Flood vanished.

We have to follow him!" Valerie cried out. "Vlad and that Death Flood are going to destroy everyone!"

"Valerie, what about Danny?" Sam asked, frantically touching Danny's rings to heal the wounds that Vlad had given him. The bleeding had stopped and Danny looked a little stronger, but the healing power didn't seem to have as much of an effect as normal. "He's hurt badly!"

A loud voice suddenly interrupted their argument. "Sam! Are you all right? We were so worried about you!"

Sam turned and saw her parents in white Elemental-proof suits they had designed, running toward her.

"We heard everything!" Sam's mother exclaimed. "We're so sorry we didn't believe you before about the Crytopyrite being good." She pulled Sam into a tight hug.

Sam's father shook his head. "I can't believe Vlad was just deceiving us the whole time. He wanted to bring the Death Flood for himself." Suddenly, he looked down and noticed Danny. "Is that...is he…the Crytopyrite?"

Seraphine spoke up. "That's him. His name's Danny, but I'm not sure if he's in the condition to talk right now. Vlad was torturing him."

Mrs. Manson gasped. "Oh you poor thing! Those weapons he was using were only supposed to be used in a desperate situation, such as if our world was being invaded! To think that Vlad used them to…" She glanced down worriedly at Danny. "That insane Pyro fooled us all!"

"You can say that again," Tucker and Dash muttered at the same time.

To everyone's surprise, Danny began to sit up, feeling a little stronger. "Mr. and Mrs. Manson...can I ask you something?"

"Why of course Danny," Mrs. Manson answered, then paused. "It is Danny isn't it?"

Danny nodded, a strange look of determination coming across his face. "Do you know...where the Orb of the Cryto is? It's really important."

"Oh! You mean the one from the legend?" Mr. Manson asked. "Vlad hid it so you wouldn't be able to find it, but we know where he put it, why?"

"It's the only thing that can stop the Death Flood," Danny said. "I know." Unnoticed to anyone but Sam, a troubled look glowed in Danny's eyes.

"Fine then," Mrs. Manson said. "Stay here, we'll get it for you."

"No," Danny nearly shouted, his voice rising slightly in tone. "I need to do it. I know that I'm injured, but there isn't much time. Sam and I will go and retrieve the Orb."

"Well, what about us?" Dash asked, turning toward Danny. "What should we do?"

"You guys need to go back to Elementum Academy and warn everyone as soon as you can." Danny answered, urgency written on his face. "From what I heard, Vlad's destroying the Forest of Life first, so you should have time to warn everyone." He turned toward Sam's parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Manson can take you over to the Academy, then come back for Sam and me."

"We can take them in our jetcopter." Mrs. Manson offered. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"We're sure, Mom," Sam answered. "Danny and I can take care of ourselves. Just hurry!"

The group began to run out of the room, toward the garage where the jetcopters were kept, when Mrs. Manson stopped outside the door. "The Orb is down in the basement. If you take the first pathway on the right, then the second pathway on the left, you should find it on the altar." With that, he ran to catch up with the others.

"Come on Danny," Sam whispered to her friend, gently helping him up and taking care not to cause him any more pain. "Like you said, we have to hurry. Can you walk?"

Danny slowly pushed himself up off the ground, a little shaky, but standing. "I think so."

"Okay, but if you need me Danny, I'm right here." Sam smiled warmly at her friend as the two of them quickly hurried toward the basement.

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Valerie nervously gazed at the scene below, as the Forest of Life was slowly becoming brown and dead, thanks to the Death Flood. "Vlad's down there," she announced to everyone else. "We still have time to make it to the Academy and warn everybody. If we hurry, we might be able to save some fruit from the forest."

"Well, we'll be there in about 5 minutes," Tucker said, who was up at the cockpit with the Mansons. "In the meantime though, this technology rocks! Could I keep one of these jetcopters?"

"Tucker!" Seraphine scolded, "We don't have time for you to be concerned with technology!"

"She's right!" Dash added. "We have more important things to worry about right now!"

"Okay, okay! Sorry!" Tucker groaned.

Valerie didn't remark on Tucker's foolishness. She was too preoccupied with looking at the destruction that the forest was being dealt, and that, if they didn't hurry, people would be next. Her gaze rested on the Academy as the copter lowered itself to land.

"Okay kinds, you go warn all your friends about the Death Flood," Mr. Manson announced. "We'll go back for Danny and Sam."

Valerie was the last one out of the copter, but as soon as she exited, the door closed as the copter flew off back toward the building it had just left. As the group rushed into the Academy, Valerie's thoughts were turned toward her two friends. There seemed to be a reason that Danny wanted to look for the Orb. She knew the legend said something about the Orb, but she couldn't remember what it was. Valerie sighed with worry. "I hope Danny and Sam are okay."

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"Sam, are we close?" Danny asked with concern.

"Sam gently wrapped her arm around Danny's shoulders. "Don't worry, we're close, Danny. My dad said it should be just down this hallway."

Within moments, the two of them found themselves staring at the very orb they had been searching for. It was perched on a stone altar much like the one where Danny's blood had summoned the Death Flood, but this one had bright red stones-pyrite-on the wall behind it. Danny gasped. This was the same orb that _The Book of Lost Knowledge_ had shown him right before he met Sam! Danny gently picked up the orb in his trembling hands, and it instantly lit up with a brilliant, white light. The light quickly died down, and the orb felt warm in Danny's hands. "There's a power coming from it," he whispered to Sam. "I can feel it through me."

Sam was amazed by the Orb as well. "So this is the Orb of the Cryto," she whispered in awe. "It's amazing."

"Come on," Danny said. "We need to go to the Academy. The sooner we stop Vlad, the better."

Sam quickly followed right behind Danny, desperately hoping that their friends were still okay. Luckily, they arrived just as the copter was landing. Sam's parents quickly ran out of the copter and rushed Danny and Sam inside.

"We'll get there as fast as the jetcopter can fly," Mrs. Manson said. "I just hope that your friends are all right back at the Academy."

"So do I," Danny said softly, his eyes clouded with worry. "Vlad's already hurt too many people that I care about! I don't want anyone else getting hurt by him!" He instinctively grabbed Sam's hand. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he pulled his hand away, blushing.

The group was quiet but tense throughout the rest of the ride, but Danny and Sam nearly screamed when they approached the Academy. Vlad had beaten them there, and they could see that the Death Flood was beginning to enter the Academy.

Danny raced out of the copter, along with Sam, as soon as it had touched the ground. They burst through the doors of the Academy to find utter chaos. The Death Flood seemed to stream through the hallways as Elementals collapsed to the ground, dead. All the survivors were running, frantically trying to escape the deadly power that trapped them. Danny stared as he recognized one of the Death Floods victims: it was Roberto.

"_I caused this,_" Danny thought. "_I'm the one who caused this horrible nightmare!_" He stared in horror at the sight, holding on tightly to Sam. If everyone else he knew had perished, Sam was the only one he had left, the only person left who saw him for who he really was. He didn't want anything to happen to her. "Tucker! Valerie! Dash! Seraphine!" Danny called out, hoping to get a response. He ducked as a beam, burning from a fire that Vlad had set, missed him by inches.

"Danny! Sam! We're up here!" Tucker called from up the stairs. "Come quickly! Seraphine's in trouble!"

Without a moment to lose, Danny and Sam dashed up the stairs to find Tucker and everyone else perfectly fine, except for Seraphine. The Death Flood was quickly advancing on her, and there was nowhere for her to run.

Danny stepped forward, holding the Orb of the Cryto out in front of him. "Leave her alone!" he shouted as a glow emitted from the orb, blocking the Death Flood from reaching Seraphine. The Death Flood seemed to be almost angry, but in flew from the room, leaving the group.

"Thank you so much Danny!" Seraphine said gratefully. "You saved my life! I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't shown up!"

"It was nothing, really," Danny said. relieved that most of his friends were still alive.

"We aren't out of the woods yet, guys," Sam reminded them. "The only way we're going to stop this horrible Death Flood is to beat Vlad!"

"Vlad's on the roof controlling the Death Flood," Dash said. "I heard him saying he'll only let us live if we obey everything he says."

"I would NEVER take orders from that filthy traitor!" Danny shouted. He couldn't take it anymore. Vlad had killed his family, hurt him and his friends, and now he was killing innocent Elementals who had no knowledge of the legend! Before anyone could say anything, he began to run up the next few flights of stairs to get to the roof, with everyone else following behind. Luckily, the power of the Orb helped divert the Death Flood away from anyone Danny and the others ran into. As a result of this, quite a few Elementals had been saved from the Death Flood, but there was a great sorrow in Danny's heart for those he had not been able to save.

When Danny and the others reached the roof, they saw Vlad there, seeming to control every move the Death Flood made. When Vlad saw Danny and his friends, he only smirked, and suddenly the Death Flood was there on the roof with them.

"Well, what do you know? It seems you are stronger than I thought Daniel," Vlad said with a sneer. "You know, however, that you are no match for me. With the Death Flood, I am the strongest being in the world. I will be the ruler of the world, and I will have ultimate power!"

"We'll see about that Vlad!" Danny hissed with anger, pure hatred for Vlad burning in his eyes. "You believe that the Death Flood gives you ultimate power, but you're wrong! It has a weakness, and I can expose it!" He took a step forward and held the Orb of the Cryto, which glowed with a brilliant light.

As Sam and the others watched Danny, she suddenly recalled the final part of the legend: _The Orb of the Cryto, fire and ice become one. The sacrifice is complete, and the evil is done._ Her eyes widened in terror at the realization. It couldn't mean...could it?

"I don't have time for you and that orb, Daniel!" Vlad snarled. "It's time to end this!" At Vlad's words, the Death Flood rushed toward Danny, but the orb shone with a white light, blocking the Death Flood from coming any farther. Vlad was unfazed. "That barrier will break soon, just you wait!"

Danny stepped forward, glaring furiously at Vlad. "You're right Vlad, it is time to end this. It's time to end the cycle of pain and terror that you started 10 years ago!" He raised the orb above his head, emitting ice from his left hand, and fire from his right. The two energies seemed to be absorbed into the orb, and a harsh wind blew around Danny and Vlad.

Tucker, Seraphine, Dash, and Valerie were confused as to what Danny was doing, but Sam understood perfectly, her eyes widening in fear. "Danny!" she screamed, tears running down her face. "You can't do this! You can't! You'll DIE!"

At the sound of her voice, Danny turned toward her, and Sam could see that he was crying too. "I'm sorry Sam! It's better that only two more deaths are suffered than my own and millions more!" Turning away even as his friends protested, he stared into the center of the orb, saying the chant that would end everything. Somehow, in his heart, he knew exactly what he had to do.

_Fire-filled sunrise and ice-covered night,_

_The world's trapped in darkness, now bring forth the light._

_As fire and ice now combine in Earth's wake,_

_I sacrifice myself for humanity's sake._

As soon as Danny said those words, a blinding white light erupted from the orb, as well as the rings on Danny's wrists, expanding in all directions. The intensity of the strange light caused the Death Flood to writhe, as if the light caused it pain. It gradually became smaller and smaller, and eventually faded away altogether.

The light was too much for Vlad as well. "You-you'll pay for this Daniel!" he screeched, but before he could say anymore, the light caused him to shrivel and vanish, just as the Death Flood had.

Soon the light faded, and everyone gasped, especially Sam. The orb was gone, and Danny had fallen to the ground.

"DANNY!" screamed Sam, rushing over even faster than the others did. She frantically checked for a pulse.

Valerie cautiously approached Danny. "Is…is he still...?"

"He's alive," Sam whispered, "but barely. His heartbeat is faint." Sam was really worried. Danny's skin was even paler than normal.

Danny slowly opened his eyes, which didn't have their usual spark. His normally bright golden eyes were dull and sad. "S-Sam?" he whispered weakly.

Sam gently lifted up Danny's hand, clasping it in her own as tears fell from her violet eyes. "Yeah Danny?"

Danny's strength seemed to be fading, but he kept his eyes open, staring into her eyes as he began to cry as well. "I...love...you..." He raised his head up slightly and kissed her on the cheek, giving her a small smile. Suddenly, he laid his head down as his eyes closed and his body went limp.

"Danny...Danny?" Sam began to panic when she got no response from her friend. "Danny! Don't leave us! You can't! We need you! I need you!" She frantically touched Danny's indigo rings, and her panic grew. No glow emitted from the rings as before. Danny couldn't be dead, he _couldn't! _

"...Sam?" Seraphine said after a moment, slowly coming a little closer. "Does he...?"

Still keeping her right hand entwined with Danny's left hand, Sam felt for a heartbeat. There was nothing.

"Danny..." Sam whispered, suddenly bursting into tears as she gripped Danny's hand tighter. "DANNY!"

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A/N: I cried while writing this chapter! There's only the epilogue after this. Remember to review. (bursts into sobs)


	11. Epilogue: New Beginnings

A/N: I know, I know, you're all upset over last chapter (dodges thrown shoe) but I think the epilogue will…well; you'll just have to read it! I can't believe it's the last chapter already! Anyway, here you go!

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Danny opened his eyes, expecting to see Sam at his side, but was shocked to see nothing but a blank whiteness all around him. He realized that the pain he had been suffering only moments before was gone. That must mean... "No, it can't be true!" Danny said to himself, looking for some way out of this white emptiness. "Oh no! NO! I can't be dead! I _can't!" _

"Danny, it's you!" a strangely familiar voice suddenly pierced through the silence.

Danny had barely turned around to look when a figure grabbed him in a tight hug. He gasped in amazement; the figure was a girl with blue hair and orange eyes, about two years older than Danny. He recognized her at once, but didn't believe it at first. After all, he hadn't seen her in 10 years. "J...Jazz? Is it...really you?"

Jazz smiled at Danny and hugged him again. "You bet, little brother. We saw everything! You did great down there, Danny."

The look on Danny's face quickly changed from bewilderment to puzzlement. "Wait a minute! What do you mean by 'we?'"

"She means herself, and us Danny," another voice said as Danny's father, Jack Fenton, came into view, with Maddie Fenton close behind.

Danny was absolutely overjoyed now. "MOM! DAD!" He and Jazz ran over to his parents and the Fentons pulled themselves into a group hug, finally reuniting themselves as a family again after 10 long years.

"We're so proud of you Danny!" Maddie said to Danny, giving her long-lost son a quick kiss on the cheek. "We've missed you so much!"

Danny smiled gratefully at his mom. "I missed you too. All of you!" The happy reunion didn't last long for Danny though, as the true meaning of this set in. "Guys? Does this mean that..." Danny swallowed, struggling to say the question he dreaded the answer to. "Does this mean that...I'm dead too?"

The other 3 Fentons looked at each other for a second, but Danny's mom was the first one to speak up. "Danny...after what happened...almost anyone would be dead in that situation..."

Danny moaned softly and buried his head in his hands. He couldn't believe it; he was dead. He had left his friends...had left Sam! He hadn't even been able to say goodbye.

"But," his mom finished, smiling, "you're not."

Danny's head shot up in shock. "W-What? But how?"

It was Jazz who spoke up this time. "You see Danny, you used the power of the Orb and stopped the Death Flood, freely willing to give yourself up to stop it. But you didn't do it just because of the legend; you did it for a reason much stronger than that...your love for the human girl, Sam Manson."

Danny turned away slightly, his light blue skin now turning a dark blue. Tears also fell from his golden eyes as he thought of Sam. "I-I knew that if I didn't...she and everyone else would die because of it," Danny explained. "I didn't want her to get hurt...I love her."

"We know you do, Danny," his dad said, resting a hand on Danny's shoulder. "That's why you survived...your spirit knows that she needs you as much as you need her."

"She's miserable without you Danny," Jazz whispered, pulling her brother into a hug. "And we can tell you're miserable without her."

"We'll miss you very much Danny," his mom said to him. "But don't worry, we'll always be here for you, and you can see us again soon."

Danny felt himself being slowly pulled away from his family, but he had time to reply. "What do you mean?"

Even though you weren't dead, we wanted to see you," Jazz answered, "and in this world, we can communicate with those who are 'half-dead' so to speak. So now you can come and see us when you have a real need to talk to us. The portal between us has been opened."

"Thank you," Danny called out to his family as they faded away from him. He gave a small wave of his hand as his family members called their farewells.

"Bye son!"

"Good luck back on Earth!"

"Take care, little brother!"

Those words were last thing Danny heard as he disappeared in a flash of light.

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Sam was in total despair now. 10 years after saving Danny's life, she had finally found him...only to have him die in her arms. "It's not fair!" she sobbed, as Valerie put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Why did Danny have to go like this?"

"He did it to stop the Death Flood," Tucker said, although he was trying hard not to cry as well. "You heard what he said Sam. If he hadn't done it, Vlad would have killed him as well as us."

"I KNOW TUCKER!" Sam snapped angrily at her friend, making him jump,, "but STILL! He was my friend, and I had been searching for him for _10 years!"_ She burst into tears again, gently stroking Danny's cold, lifeless hand. "I never even got to tell him I loved him."

At once, Sam realized something extraordinary: Danny's hand was, somehow, beginning to feel warm again! "Hey guys!" she announced, "something's going on!" Sam looked intently at Danny, her heart beating fast. Could it be...?

Danny slowly opened his gold sunrise eyes, now sparkling with life. The first thing he noticed was Sam and his Elemental friends, staring open-mouthed at him in astonishment. He turned toward Sam, staring into her violet eyes, and smiled.

"Hey Sam."

"DANNY!" Sam screamed in delight, pulling him into a passionate hug like she never wanted to let go. She gave Danny a kiss in return for the one he had given her. "We were so worried about you!" Sam was still crying, but these were tears of happiness. "I thought...I thought you were..."

Danny smiled gratefully at her as he stood up. "I know Sam. I-" Before Danny could say any more, he was interrupted by Tucker, Dash, Seraphine, and Valerie all hugging him.

"I can't believe it Danny! You're alive!" said Valerie in shock. "It's a miracle!"

"We thought you were done for!" Dash exclaimed, giving Danny a high-five.

Thank goodness you're back!" Tucker added. "Sam was in hysterics, and if you hadn't come back I think she could of cried herself to death!"

"TUCKER!" everyone shouted, even Danny.

Tucker shrugged. "Sorry."

Everyone was too busy celebrating to be mad at Tucker any longer, as all the survivors of the Death Flood had found their way to the roof and gathered. They had quickly learned that Danny, the Crytopyrite, had sacrificed himself to stop the Death Flood. When they learned that he had miraculously survived, they raced off to congratulate him. Everyone, Crytos and Pyros alike, even those who had hated Danny before, now regarded him as a hero. One Pyro boy pushed through the crowd and stood in front of Danny. It was Peter.

"I'm really sorry for taunting you Danny," Peter said, keeping his head low. "I didn't know about the legend before. But you being the Crytopyrite...and Vlad being the Dark One...I never would've thought."

To Peter's surprise, Danny smiled at him. "That's okay Peter, I kind of thought the same thing about myself when I first got fire powers."

"Yeah," Peter said, his voice trailing off a bit. "Danny, I was wondering..."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, go on."

Peter sighed. "Do you think I could get ice powers too? Then maybe I could be a Pyrocrytite or something?"

And for the first time in days, Danny laughed.

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By the next afternoon, it seemed as if Danny had achieved celebrity status at Elementum Academy. Everyone wanted to be around him, and he was asked for an autograph about 30 times. But for now, Danny went outside the Academy. He needed to see something. He stopped a few feet from the sign with the words _Elementum Academy_ printed on it in glowing blue and read lettering. Danny's eyes rested on a slightly smaller sign, made of a super strong metal with black words engraved on it:

_This plaque is in memoriam to those who lost their lives here during the Death Flood on April 23, 2041. They will be forever remembered in our hearts. _

Danny sighed, kneeling in front of the plaque. Sam's parents had put it up the night before, right after Sam had explained to them what had happened. It had been a struggle getting there, as they had had to get through the crowd of students and faculty who wanted to see the Crytopyrite. Below the sentence on the plaque were the names of the Elementals who died, and Danny's heart felt heavy. True, he had survived, and so had his friends and many others. But there were several-like Roberto- whom he hadn't been able to save. He mourned for their deaths, cursing Vlad for the terror he had caused, although, he felt partially to blame.

"Hey, are you alright Danny?"

Danny turned to find Sam kneeling down beside him, a concerned expression on her face. He sighed. "Yeah Sam, I just feel really guilty that I wasn't able to save everyone."

Danny," Sam began, resting her hand on his, "listen to me. It's not your fault that this happened; it was Vlad's. He wanted to take over and destroy, and he had to be stopped. I'll never forgive Vlad for doing what he did, especially since some of those who died were from L.E.O."

Danny thought of all the Elementals he had met when he had first heard of the legend. For some of them, the legend of the Crytopyrite was the last legend they ever heard. "We're any of them ones that you were really close to?" Danny kept his head down. Now Seraphine's brother was gone, and they had been good friends before he left the Academy.

Sam gave a sad nod. "Yes, 5 of them, including Roberto. If you had died, it would've been 6." She shuddered at the memory. "I talked to my parents afterward, and they promised to never torture Elementals again. In fact, they were talking to me about sharing some of the new technology they made with you guys."

Danny smiled. "Tucker will be happy about that."

Sam couldn't help laughing slightly, remembering how Tucker had begged her for one of those jetcopeters for about 2 hours. "You're right, he'll really enjoy it when the time comes." She smiled, gazing into Danny's eyes. "Danny?"

Danny turned toward Sam, his hand entwining with hers. "Yeah Sam?"

Sam blushed at his touch, staring into the depths of Danny's eyes with a mixture of love and happiness. "This sure was one crazy adventure, but it seems that it has finally come to an end."

Danny gave Sam that same look as they hugged each other in the light of the afternoon. "It's not the end Sam," he said gazing toward the sunset in the distance, a strange sensation rising within him. "It's only the beginning."

Little did Danny know just how right that statement would turn out to be.

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A/N: Whoo! Danny's alive and the story is over! (notices confused looks) Oh, I see, you're confused by that last sentence in the story. Well, there's a reason why I put that sentence there…I'm writing…a SEQUAL! Stay tuned for Crytopyrite: Elemental Storm! Coming soon to 


End file.
